Poll: Most Texans Still Don't Want You to Mess with Them

A recent poll by Public Policy Polling found while Texans are becoming more liberal on some issues, most agree they don't want people messing with Texas.

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A recent poll from Public Policy Polling found 78 percent of Texans agree:

Don't Mess with Texas.

Nine percent say people should mess with Texas, and 13 percent are unsure.

That's one of thirty questions asked to 500 registered voters in the state last week. Overall, the poll found Texas is becoming more liberal on some issues and support for some Republican senators dropped – but the chances of the state going blue in the near future is slim.

Looking ahead to the 2016 presidential race, Sen. Ted Cruz is the ideal choice for Republicans in his home state with 27 percent of the vote. Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential dream appears impossible, with only 18 percent of Texas Republicans saying Perry would get their vote.

63 percent of those surveyed think gay couples should be able to marry or form civil unions, but only 34 percent believed same sex marriage should be legal in Texas. And 75 percent of those surveyed did not think employers should be allowed to discriminate against employees based on sexual orientation.

A majority of those polled disagreed with the court's decision regarding the Voting Rights Act. 29 percent supported the decision. The court struck down a major provision of the act that decided which states are required to get federal approval for any voting changes.

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The Supreme Court has overturned a portion of the Voting Rights Act. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says this morning’s decision means a Texas voter ID law "will take effect immediately." Scroll down for updates. The high court struck down Section 4 of the act, which establishes a formula to identify portions of the county (primarily the South) where changes to elections must be approved by the Department of Justice. That was to ensure minority voting rights weren’t infringed upon. From the court's opinion: "Coverage today is based on decades-old data and eradicated practices. The formula captures States by reference to literacy tests and low voter registration and turnout in the 1960s and early 1970s. But such tests have been banned for over 40 years. And voter registration and turnout numbers in covered States have risen dramatically." The court didn’t do away with Section 5 of the act – the portion that allows the Department of Justice to reject state laws it sees as discriminatory. Instead, the court says the new standards should be created, instead of the expanded coverage called for under Section 4.

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